This week I trained fairly extensively. I had BJJ Tuesday night, Friday night, and today at noon. I normally don't go on Saturdays but Julia was scrapbooking. I had been working on a paper for school and needed a break and to blow off some steam so I went and rolled for an hour.
Tuesday was Gi night. We did some technique work and then rolled. I rolled with Tim a good bit and was actually able to submit him for the first time. It was a lucky break on my part. He had taken my back, had his hooks in but had crossed his feet. I was able to bring my right leg over and ankle-lock him. He made a silly mistake that I was able to recognize and capitalize upon. But I guess that is what BJJ is all about. Otherwise, again I was able to hold my own with him. Again I was able to get out of the Peruvian Necktie attempts, avoided a triangle choke and a gi choke attempt. He is good at sneaking the armbar in on me, however. He told me that my timing is getting a whole lot better, which is another huge aspect of the art.
Friday night (last night) was no-gi. Frank and Paul and I were there. Paul and I rolled against each other first and I was able to get to his back and sink in a rear naked choke for the tap. We spent the rest of last night taking turns rolling with Frank who basically dominated both of us.
Today was the same three folks. I rolled some with Frank and got dominated again. Lately I have a fascination of sorts with leglocks and I keep grabbing Frank's legs and thinking about trying to anklelock him, which has yet to be successful. Rolled twice with Paul and split the two rolls. He got me with an Americana (tapped more due to a jammed thumb getting torqued than the actual Americana) and I got him with a collar choke. Good stuff.
Frank called me a little while ago and things look very good toward Ronin moving into its own space by the middle of April. More details as we learn them.
Roll on.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sad News
Was working this morning and happened upon the news of the death of Charles "Mask" Lewis, the founder of the TapOut brand of clothing and MMA gear. Mask and his cohorts have done a lot to promote the fighting arts to what they are today and he will be missed. The full circumstances surrounding the car accident that killed Mask are not yet known. Hopefully drugs or alcohol on his part is not a factor. In any event, a great supporter of mixed martial arts has passed away.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Progress/Shoutouts/An Irish Blessing
My apologies for being so spotty lately with posts on here. I have been very busy with work and school and have had a lot going on in my personal life as well. I am going to try to be a better blogger. I am working on the second installment of my series on the spiritual parallels of Jiu-Jitsu, so look for that soon (hopefully).
I had a good training week last week. Rolled some with Frank and, as usual, felt pretty helpless and got my butt handed to me in a variety of fashions. He doesn't outweigh me significantly (he is around 170, I fluctuate 145-155), but he is very good at USING his weight very effectively. He likes to get into side control and bear down with his weight. I usually turn to my side at that point and attempt to shrimp away. When I do that, though, he almost invariably takes my back and from there it is just a matter of time before he sinks in some manner of choke. However, I also rolled with Tim, one of our blue belts, who I have mentioned in previous posts. I managed to extricate myself from several predicaments when grappling with him. I worked my way out of two Peruvian Necktie attempts (see video below for demo of the Peruvian).
This was good for my psyche, as this is the one choke I have been caught in that has actually put me to sleep. Frank caught me in the Peruvian awhile back and it didn't feel that tight. I went to turn to try to work my way out of it and next thing I knew I was looking at the ceiling with him kneelng next to me telling me I had gone to sleep. Very odd sensation. I am generally one to tap if I know I am caught. I never felt that one coming.
Anyway, back to my roll with Tim. I also managed to extricate myself from a triangle attempt by posturing up and driving forward, flipping him over. Shortly after that, he managed to grab one of my arms and get an armbar on me. But, I feel like my skill level is slowly improving.
On the subject of shoutouts, I would like to say a big hello to Kyle Kaiser and the folks at AnointedFighter.com. Anointed Fighter is a website/ministry dedicated to Christians involved with the fighting arts. A lot of really great people on that site, in addition to some professional fighters who are also believers.
I will be going to class tomorrow night and Friday night and will post sometime during that span.
I will leave you with an Irish blessing that the great "Rowdy" Roddy Piper ended his recent interview with TAGGRADIO.com with. This blessing kind of made my morning.
To those who love us, may God bless them. And for those who don't may God turn their hearts. And for those whose hearts He cannot turn, may He turn their ankles so we recognize them by their limp.
Roll on.
I had a good training week last week. Rolled some with Frank and, as usual, felt pretty helpless and got my butt handed to me in a variety of fashions. He doesn't outweigh me significantly (he is around 170, I fluctuate 145-155), but he is very good at USING his weight very effectively. He likes to get into side control and bear down with his weight. I usually turn to my side at that point and attempt to shrimp away. When I do that, though, he almost invariably takes my back and from there it is just a matter of time before he sinks in some manner of choke. However, I also rolled with Tim, one of our blue belts, who I have mentioned in previous posts. I managed to extricate myself from several predicaments when grappling with him. I worked my way out of two Peruvian Necktie attempts (see video below for demo of the Peruvian).
This was good for my psyche, as this is the one choke I have been caught in that has actually put me to sleep. Frank caught me in the Peruvian awhile back and it didn't feel that tight. I went to turn to try to work my way out of it and next thing I knew I was looking at the ceiling with him kneelng next to me telling me I had gone to sleep. Very odd sensation. I am generally one to tap if I know I am caught. I never felt that one coming.
Anyway, back to my roll with Tim. I also managed to extricate myself from a triangle attempt by posturing up and driving forward, flipping him over. Shortly after that, he managed to grab one of my arms and get an armbar on me. But, I feel like my skill level is slowly improving.
On the subject of shoutouts, I would like to say a big hello to Kyle Kaiser and the folks at AnointedFighter.com. Anointed Fighter is a website/ministry dedicated to Christians involved with the fighting arts. A lot of really great people on that site, in addition to some professional fighters who are also believers.
I will be going to class tomorrow night and Friday night and will post sometime during that span.
I will leave you with an Irish blessing that the great "Rowdy" Roddy Piper ended his recent interview with TAGGRADIO.com with. This blessing kind of made my morning.
To those who love us, may God bless them. And for those who don't may God turn their hearts. And for those whose hearts He cannot turn, may He turn their ankles so we recognize them by their limp.
Roll on.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Lots of stuff going on
Sorry I have been kind of out of the loop. A LOT has been going on. I have been quite busy with work, school, and personal life. I wanted to post an update here, though. The school has closed, but Frank has moved the program. We are now based, temporarily, at the Melissa Berry School of Dance. The room we are training in is kind of small, is on a second floor with a window looking out on a parking lot and mirrors along both walls (it's a dance studio after all), and, is a funny shade of pink. But, it is good to be back in the game. The new school is called Ronin Muay Thai/Grappling. The plan is, hopefully within a couple of months we will be in our own space again. For now, this is an okay stop-gap.
Last night, we went over a couple of basic collar chokes and then rolled lightly. I rolled with this new guy, Paul. He is another pretty big guy (240ish) but I was able to hang with him
Last night, we went over a couple of basic collar chokes and then rolled lightly. I rolled with this new guy, Paul. He is another pretty big guy (240ish) but I was able to hang with him
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Last night
Was a good class. Frank seemed pretty hopeful that something good will happen in term of moving the program to another facility. I am hoping it happens. He went over the Kimura from guard:
and the Omoplata from guard:
Rolled a bit with Frank. Managed to avoid a few sweep attempts and a couple of armbar attempts. He kept catching me in all manner of chokes, though. He got me in a gi collar choke and I tried to work my way out of it, but the room started to get swimmy and I decided tapping out was probably a good idea.
Tony and I then another semi-epic roll. We went about 7-8 minutes. I was never able to get in a really advantageous position, but I managed to keep him from getting into one by just keeping moving and trying to keep him from using his size and strength. I escaped a guillotine choke attempt and an Americana attempt. He finally caught me with a short armbar and got the tap. But, again, I feel like my technique is improving dramatically.
I am going to concentrate on going to the gym, keeping my cardio up and working on upper body and core strength. Hoping this is not the end of the road for me with BJJ. I feel like I am at the point of having the first tiny glimmers of competence. We shall see.
Roll on.
and the Omoplata from guard:
Rolled a bit with Frank. Managed to avoid a few sweep attempts and a couple of armbar attempts. He kept catching me in all manner of chokes, though. He got me in a gi collar choke and I tried to work my way out of it, but the room started to get swimmy and I decided tapping out was probably a good idea.
Tony and I then another semi-epic roll. We went about 7-8 minutes. I was never able to get in a really advantageous position, but I managed to keep him from getting into one by just keeping moving and trying to keep him from using his size and strength. I escaped a guillotine choke attempt and an Americana attempt. He finally caught me with a short armbar and got the tap. But, again, I feel like my technique is improving dramatically.
I am going to concentrate on going to the gym, keeping my cardio up and working on upper body and core strength. Hoping this is not the end of the road for me with BJJ. I feel like I am at the point of having the first tiny glimmers of competence. We shall see.
Roll on.
Monday, February 9, 2009
BUMP IN THE ROAD
I haven't posted much lately. I've been kind of busy with school and such. Also just got a bit of bad(?) news. Frank called just a few minutes ago and the school is shutting down as of March 1st. The problem is, Chris, the owner, is stopping paying Frank effective immediately. So, tonight is the last adult class. Frank is more or less coming by to say goodbye. He told me he is trying to work out something with another gym locally to start a BJJ program, but it remains to be seen whether it will happen. I am hoping this is just a small bump in the road in my progress in the art. Due to family and life obligations, a much longer drive would not be feasible to do on a regular basis. I am hopeful and interested to see what the next chapter of the saga brings.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
UFC 94 and meeting Raven
Well, my UFC 94 picks were, shall we say, spotty at best!
The Guida/Diaz fight was a pleasant surprise. I was ever so glad to finally see that cocky little punk get shut up. Clay Guida surprised me and, honestly, dominated Nate Diaz. I was pleased with the outcome, although it was not my pick. 0-1 in picks.
Parisyan/Kim was, honestly, a bit boring. Split deciion by Parysian, although, honestly, I think Kim actually won that fight. 1-1 in picks.
Bonnar/Jones was a shocker. This Jones kid has a future ahead of him. Was very surprised at the outcome. 1-2 in picks.
Machida/Silva was a good one. I was not expecting it to end up knockout however. 2-2 in picks.
Penn/GSP was a bitter disappointment. After all of the hype and after all of Penn calling GSP a quitter, what does BJ do? He lets his corner crew basically throw in the towel for him, not answering the bell for round 5. GSP was passing his guard at will also. Penn needs to really re-evaluate a lot of things in my opinion.
Something else about myself...I am kind of a geek. Or at least, I have some geeky interests. I went to the Atlanta Comic Book Convention this afternoon and while I was down there, I attended an autograph session with Scott Levy, who is perhaps better known as the ECW/WCW/WWE/TNA wrestler Raven. Had a brief conversation with him and found him to be a very nice, cordial guy. I was mentioning to him that he was and is probably the best "promo guy" in the business. Unlike a lot of wrestlers, when cutting a promo, he would rarely raise his voice. He also would not rant and rave. His above-average intelligence and vocabulary were his primary weapons in his promos. He was just a sinister presence who could send shivers down your spine for his portrayal of a sociopath. Two great examples of Raven promos are below:
Below is a cellphone pic capturing my meeting with Scott "Raven" Levy.
The Guida/Diaz fight was a pleasant surprise. I was ever so glad to finally see that cocky little punk get shut up. Clay Guida surprised me and, honestly, dominated Nate Diaz. I was pleased with the outcome, although it was not my pick. 0-1 in picks.
Parisyan/Kim was, honestly, a bit boring. Split deciion by Parysian, although, honestly, I think Kim actually won that fight. 1-1 in picks.
Bonnar/Jones was a shocker. This Jones kid has a future ahead of him. Was very surprised at the outcome. 1-2 in picks.
Machida/Silva was a good one. I was not expecting it to end up knockout however. 2-2 in picks.
Penn/GSP was a bitter disappointment. After all of the hype and after all of Penn calling GSP a quitter, what does BJ do? He lets his corner crew basically throw in the towel for him, not answering the bell for round 5. GSP was passing his guard at will also. Penn needs to really re-evaluate a lot of things in my opinion.
Something else about myself...I am kind of a geek. Or at least, I have some geeky interests. I went to the Atlanta Comic Book Convention this afternoon and while I was down there, I attended an autograph session with Scott Levy, who is perhaps better known as the ECW/WCW/WWE/TNA wrestler Raven. Had a brief conversation with him and found him to be a very nice, cordial guy. I was mentioning to him that he was and is probably the best "promo guy" in the business. Unlike a lot of wrestlers, when cutting a promo, he would rarely raise his voice. He also would not rant and rave. His above-average intelligence and vocabulary were his primary weapons in his promos. He was just a sinister presence who could send shivers down your spine for his portrayal of a sociopath. Two great examples of Raven promos are below:
Below is a cellphone pic capturing my meeting with Scott "Raven" Levy.
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